In data centers, during maintenance windows of network devices, e.g., for module installation, cabling changes, and firmware and software updates, the network device is isolated from other network devices, and traffic is redirected around the isolated device, to prevent disruptions to the data center operation. One class of network devices supports a graceful insertion/removal (GIR) mode, or entry and exit of the device into a maintenance mode, that disables and modifies routing configuration at the device. This graceful insertion/removal mode, or maintenance mode, may modify, for example, Layer-2 or Layer-3 protocol interfaces for the device to isolate the device from its neighbors. Certain classes of devices may modify their Border Gateway Protocol (e.g., BGPv4 or BGPv6); Multiprotocol BGP (MP-BGP) (e.g., VPNv4, VPNv6, Layer 2 VPN (L2VPN), and Ethernet VPN (EVPN)); Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP); Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol Version 6 (EIGRPv6); Intermediate System-to-Intermediate System (IS-IS); Open Shortest Path First (OSPF); Open Shortest Path First Version 3 (OSPFv3); Virtual PortChannel (vPC and vPC+); and FabricPath.